US stock futures exhibited a mixed performance late Wednesday, as investors sifted through newly released earnings from major corporations and the Federal Reserve’s latest monetary policy decision. Futures tied to the S&P 500 remained slightly below the baseline, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about 0.2%. In contrast, contracts linked to the Nasdaq 100 experienced a mild uptick.
The fluctuations in futures follow a relatively stable session for the major indexes earlier in the day. After the market closed, the reactions to earnings reports drove significant movements in the stock prices of large technology companies.
Meta Platforms Inc. (META) experienced a notable boost, surging up to 10% in extended trading. This increase followed the company’s announcement of a first-quarter revenue outlook that surpassed Wall Street’s expectations. However, the tech giant also indicated that its investments in artificial intelligence would escalate expenses to an estimated $135 billion this year.
In contrast, Tesla Inc. (TSLA) saw a modest increase of approximately 2% after reporting quarterly results that beat expectations. Conversely, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) faced a decline of nearly 7% as market participants reacted to slower cloud growth in its fiscal second quarter, coupled with higher-than-anticipated capital expenditures and finance lease costs. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) followed suit, experiencing a drop in after-hours trading.
The market’s attention is still firmly fixed on the Federal Reserve, which recently announced its first interest rate decision for 2026, opting to maintain rates at current levels. The central bank highlighted signs of stabilization in the labor market, and Chair Jerome Powell indicated that upcoming decisions would be made on a meeting-by-meeting basis. Despite this cautious approach, futures markets are currently anticipating two quarter-point rate cuts by the end of 2026, according to CME FedWatch.
Looking ahead, investors are bracing for Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) fiscal first-quarter earnings report, which is set to be released after Thursday’s market close. Additional financial results are also expected from Mastercard (MA), American Express (AXP), and Verizon (VZ) later this week. Furthermore, attention will be on economic indicators such as weekly jobless claims, durable goods orders, and wholesale inventory figures as investors seek insights into the overall health of the economy.
